


The Case of the Mother from Madrid

by keerawa



Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: Banter, Case Fic, Gen, John and Sherlock in a threesome with The Work, Watson's Woes July Writing Prompts 2015
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-07-04
Updated: 2015-07-04
Packaged: 2018-04-07 16:54:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4270800
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/keerawa/pseuds/keerawa
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>The agreement over when and how Sherlock's allowed to interrupt John's sleep cycle needs to be re-negotiated.  Again.</p>
            </blockquote>





	The Case of the Mother from Madrid

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the [](http://watsons-woes.livejournal.com/profile)[watsons_woes](http://watsons-woes.livejournal.com/) JWP Prompt 2015 #4: The Well-Travelled Watson. Unbeta'd.

John woke up, uncomfortably certain he was being watched. He opened his eyes to find Sherlock staring at him, intently, from a foot away. Sherlock immediately stood up.

"John, you're awake. Excellent. There's a case."

John groaned and rolled over onto his back, hand shading his eyes from the light. Sherlock had found yet another loophole in their agreement about the circumstances under which he was allowed to interrupt John's sleep cycle.

"Is it time-critical?" Last time Sherlock woke him up, it had been for a murder from the 1920's.

"Kidnapping. You like those," Sherlock said, as if offering a treat.

"The ones with happy endings, yeah," John agreed, glancing at the clock. If kidnapping victims weren't found in the first 24 hours, they usually didn't make it. And John would have to get up for work soon, anyway – another five hours or so. Ugh.

"Right," he said, sitting up in bed. "What do you need?"

"The officer in charge has sent me photos of the abduction scene, but they're useless. I need you to go and take more photos."

"Okay, yeah," John said with a yawn, "but you're paying for the taxi."

"Flight," Sherlock corrected him absently, checking his phone. "Your plane leaves from Gatwick in ninety minutes, best get on."

"Ninety – Sherlock. Where am I meant to be flying to?"

"Madrid."

"Madrid? Sherlock, you're meant to arrive at the airport two hours early for international flights, and I don't speak Spanish," John protested.

Sherlock glared down at him, practically vibrating with frustration. "It's an _interesting_ case. According to the security system, the victim used her keycard to check in and out of four different labs, _after_ we know she was abducted, but the cameras show no one entering or leaving at those times." He went on, speaking faster and faster, brain going quicker than his mouth could manage. "I've three theories - there's some evidence she cooperated with her captors - possibly a threat against her family, three children under the age of seven, John!"

"It's urgent, I get it," John interrupted. "Why don't you just ask the police to take more photos, instead of flying me round the world to do it?"

Sherlock froze, for just a moment. Christ, had that seriously not occurred to him?

"You take better photos," Sherlock said sulkily.

"Yes, because you bother to inform me what it is I'm meant to photograph. Just ask them, Sherlock."

"You do it," Sherlock countered.

"I haven't learnt to speak Spanish in the last five minutes."

"I'll translate for you. When you tell people to do things, they actually do them!"

"That would be the effect of asking them politely, instead of ordering them about. Look – fine, it's not as if I'm getting back to sleep, after all this. Give me a minute to brush my teeth and put the kettle on, and I'll help you talk to the police in Madrid."

"Brush quickly," Sherlock ordered as he spun around and dashed for the bedroom door. "Dr. Villegas's life may hang in the balance," he called from the bottom of the stairs.

John rubbed his face and rolled out of bed. He had plenty of experience waking up rapidly, when needed, and found himself oddly cheerful about sacrificing another night's sleep to save lives.


End file.
